Homeowner shoots man trying to ride off with stolen goat on dune buggy, CA cops say

A 36-year-old man accused of trying to steal a goat off a California couple’s property and attempting to flee on one of their dune buggies was shot by the homeowner, deputies said.

Just before 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 5, a 79-year-old man and his 60-year-old wife heard their dogs and goats making noise on their San Marcos land, according to a news release by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

After going outside, they saw a man trying to steal one of their goats, deputies said.

They tried to stop the man but were pushed to the ground, according to the release.

The husband went inside and picked up a rifle, deputies said. When he came back, he said he saw the man throw “the goat into the front passenger seat of a dune buggy on the property.”

After being confronted by the husband, the man got out of the buggy and charged toward him, the sheriff’s department said.

The two struggled and the rifle fired, hitting the accused trespasser, according to the release.

After San Marcos Sheriff’s Station arrived, deputies arrested the man, and he was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s department said.

The husband had cuts on his hands, and his wife remained unharmed, according to the release.

The man was charged with robbery, elder abuse, attempted vehicle theft, residential burglary, animal cruelty and battery, according to KGTV.

San Marcos is about 35 miles north of San Diego.

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